COMMENTARY / ISRAEL & THE JEWISH WORLD
December 2023
Federation Star
37
Oy! Geh Vahlt! By Sol Awend
E
ver get the feeling we’re living in the year 1938? No matter what you see, where you go, what you read and with whom you talk, it’s all the same rant: Death to the Jews! It’s unnerving. The last month has been a nonstop barrage of unprecedented violence and murder flung upon our Jewish brethren in Israel. And if that wasn’t enough, the truth has been twisted and turned inside out. Bold-faced lies spouted by antisemitic politicians have been broadcast by the media with lightning speed. The “melting pot” that was once America has become a boiling cauldron of hate. Instead of militaristic swastika-waving hooligans of yesteryear running around loose, we have gigantic throngs of people waving flags and chanting outright death threats against us. Aside from not having a homeland, the only difference between now and 1938 is
the technology. What took days back then now appears in seconds; repeated over and over again. I remember my Mom telling me what she heard her parents murmuring in discussions at mealtime. Their Polish neighbors were taunting them in outright jeering and meanness. My grandfather even came home bloody once, having gotten caught in a pogrom. What to do and where to go was an elusive question. Even more elusive was the answer. There is a story told in a collection of Jewish passages written by modern-day Rabbi Yachiel Spero. He writes of a town in Germany called Marienbad. The Jews in town gathered to discuss the impending doom that was descending on them. Some felt more concentrated Torah study was necessary. More prayer said others, while still others stressed more observance of daily ritual and holidays.
Rav Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman was the last to speak. He told of a fire that broke out in a Rebbe’s house. The flames spread and a crowd gathered outside and watched as the flames quickly spread. Suddenly, someone realized the Rebbe was nowhere to been seen and they feared he might be inside, sleeping. Everyone came up with ideas. Some said a ladder should be put up against the backside of the house. Another shouted that it would be faster to run through the front, while another proposed scaling the side of the house. Finally, a clear-headed fellow screamed at the crowd, “Why waste time running around?! Scream! Scream at the top of your lungs and wake him up! That way he can save himself!” The congregation heard the Rav’s message. Then came a loud reply. “Fellow Jews! The ground upon which we are standing is giving way! In the midst of the current madness, we are trying to find a solution to save a country that is
sleepwalking! We must scream at the top of our lungs Awake! Awake! No one will save us if we don’t listen to that cry!” It’s not so different today, and below are a few Yiddish phrases and words that highlight how precarious the situation is. (Kudos to Susan Suarez, the Holocaust Museum’s president, whose recent message for us to be aware and defiant in the face off the current situation was most relevant and inspiring.) 1. OY! Geh VAHLT! (Oh! Become aware!) OY! Geh VAHLT! Zay noh voos tet zec’h oop! (Oh! Become aware! Look at what’s going on!) 2. Kinda LEC’H, Ess MAC’HT zec’h AH mulC’HOOMEH! (Children, a war is starting to brew!) 3. YEED’n! VEK DEC’H OFF! (Fellow Jews! Wake up!) Yeed’n! Vek dec’h off! Siz shreklic’heh t’zaaten! (Fellow Jews! Wake up! It’s scary times!)
New York’s leading Imam meet with Jewish student leaders Ways to combat hatred and violence were discussed in light of dramatic rise in antisemitic incidents on campuses
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esthampton Beach, NY (Oct. 29, 2023) — Amidst the dramatic rise in antisemitic rhetoric and hate crimes against Jews perpetrated by students protesting against Israel on college campuses since the Gaza war began, Imam Shamsi Ali met with 30 Jewish student leaders from colleges in New York City in a special discussion titled, "New York Campuses Are On Fire – What Should We Do?" Imam Ali is a prominent Muslim activist and leader of the Jamaica Muslim Center, the largest mosque in New York with over 20,000 members. The 30 Jewish student leaders led by Ilya Bratman, executive director, Hillel at Baruch, represent students from Baruch College, City College of New York, the Fashion Institute of Technology, Fordham University, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New School for Social Research, Pace University and the School of Visual Arts. The event was initiated and organized by Rabbi Marc Schneier, president
of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding and a prominent voice in Jewish-Muslim interfaith dialogue, who serves as the senior rabbi of the Hampton Synagogue. Imam Ali is the president of the Nusantara Foundation. He and Rabbi Schneier co-authored “Sons of Abraham: A Candid Conversation about the Issues That Divide and Unite Jews and Muslims,” a book that is the definitive text on respectful Muslim-Jewish relations. "I am most concerned about the safety of Jewish students, and I am aware of the fear, anxiety, and antisemitism Jewish students are now facing on college compasses — witnessing signs like 'gas all the Jews' or 'kill all the Jews'" said Schneier at the meeting. "Violence and intimidation should not be tolerated. There is a line that you simply cannot cross. If you want to protest, protest. If you want to demonstrate, you can demonstrate, but there should be no violence — no confrontation. We can agree to disagree without being disagreeable."
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Ilya Bratmani, Rabbi Marc Schneier and Imam Shamsi Al Photo credit: Rick Seigleman
"We as Muslims who live in America are also facing Islamophobia and your concerns are my concerns, too. Your fear is my fear. We are all in the same boat," said Imam Ali to the students. "I am here
tonight to mainly listen to your concerns because this week I will meet with Muslim student leaders from New York City campuses as well."
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